CASTANO SALAZAR Erica Maria

Date of Birth: 9 Oct 1985

Age: 35

Gender: Female

Sport Class: F55

Place of birth: MEDELLIN

Birth Country:

Colombia

Place of residence : CALI

Residence Country:

Colombia

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Athletics	Women's Discus Throw - F55	4

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Olympic Stadium - Seated Discus/Club	Women's Discus Throw - F55 Final	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Rank	Event	Year	Location	Result
Paralympic Games
4	Discus Throw - F55	2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA	20.07
8	Javelin Throw - F56	2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA	16.40
World Championships
1	Discus Throw - F55	2019	Dubai, UAE	23.97
2	Discus Throw - F55	2017	London, GBR	21.30
2	Shot Put - F55	2017	London, GBR	7.77

Listening to music, playing the piano, singing, cooking, reading. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2019; efe.com, 20 Apr 2018)

Occupation:

Husband Edward Ortiz

Languages spoken:

Valle del Cauca [Colombia]

Alonso Mina [national]; Freyman Arias [national]

Sporting relatives:

Her brother Carlos Roossellvelt has represented Colombia in Para athletics. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 Oct 2019; eltiempo.com, 08 Aug 2018)

She took up the sport in 2014 in Medellin, Colombia. She had previously started swimming in 2012. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2019, 13 Jul 2017)

After recovering from her injuries, she turned to sport as a way to help occupy her mind and give her a goal to work towards. She first tried Para swimming but, due to breathing problems, she switched to Para powerlifting. She was later invited to try throwing events in Para athletics. "I want to be an inspiration for other people to show they can overcome any problem." (senalcolombia.tv, 10 Mar 2021; Andres Mesa, 14 Jul 2016)

To win gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (senalcolombia.tv, 10 Mar 2021)

Finishing in fourth place in discus throw at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2019)

US archer Matt Stutzman. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2019)

Her mother. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2019)

General Interest

Classification
F55 (IPC, 11 Apr 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (lavanguardia.com, 20 Apr 2018)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 08 Nov 2019)

Impairment Details
She was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury after she was hit by a stray bullet during a shooting at a shopping centre in December 2008 in Medellin, Colombia. (noticias.caracoltv.com, 15 Dec 2019; eltiempo.com, 08 Aug 2018)

General
FAMILY
She sustained her impairment after she was hit by a stray bullet during a shooting at shopping centre in Medellin, Colombia. Five months earlier, her brother Carlos, who has also gone on to represent Colombia in Para athletics, sustained a serious injury in a similar incident at a shopping centre in Medellin. "At that time, it was difficult, above all, for my mother, who was the one who had to deal with everything. When I was shot I fell to the ground. I was aware that I would end up in a wheelchair, just like my brother, because he had told us what it felt like when he got shot. His story and what he had gone through made me accept my reality." (noticias.caracoltv.com, 15 Dec 2019; eltiempo.com, 08 Aug 2018)

OCCUPATION
She works as a lawyer, specialising in criminal law. She also has a degree in sports management. "All my life I wanted to be a lawyer. Finally, my plan was fulfilled, and I am very pleased about it. But I also want to continue my sporting career." (noticias.caracoltv.com, 15 Dec 2019; Athlete, 08 Nov 2019)

ILLNESS
In 2018 she had to take about one year away from the sport after she was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. She returned to training in January 2019. (cpc.org.co, 16 Feb 2021)

OTHER ROLES
She has served as an athlete representative at the Colombian Paralympic Committee. (cpc.org.co, 16 Feb 2021)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos